


Like real people do

by Konoline



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But kinda loosely, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, It's sort of slow burn, Mentions of suicide/injury/death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 18:10:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13172412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Konoline/pseuds/Konoline
Summary: [NDRV3 spoilers for the whole game]Five times Tenko chooses to believe in MakiAnd the time that Maki believes back





	Like real people do

**Author's Note:**

> I think I had to rewrite this like... 4 times before I ended up with a version I was satisfied with.  
> It flows a little weird at times, sorry in advance, but I hope you enjoy!

# i

Shuichi walked out of the building alone, seems like it would be with just the two of them tonight. That was alright, Kaito was better off taking a rest tonight. Student council seemed to be preoccupied as well, nobody had walked up to tell them to go to back to their rooms.

She had that thought too soon, Shuichi barely greeted her before someone snuck out from behind him. Chabashira, who approached with apprehension in all her movements. Maki gave her the strongest glare she could muster, Shuichi backed off a little, but then seemed to get it and turned around. Chabashira shivered, but didn’t back down, seemingly finding the courage to step closer instead. She was braver than Maki thought, braver or just stupid.

“That’s… a powerful glare…” She stood straighter, and stared back into her glare. “But Tenko isn’t going to run away with her tail between her legs!”

There was something about her, Maki couldn’t pinpoint what, that made her feel like Chabashira wasn’t here to drag the two of them inside.

“You’re not here on behalf of student council, correct?” Maki asked, feeling herself relax.

“Huh?” Shuichi glanced back. “How do you know?”

“Of course a menace can’t tell! It’s a girl’s intuition, Saihara-san. But Harukawa-san is right… Tenko came here to ask a favor… Something that’s important to her.” She took a deep breath. “Tenko needs your help to deal with Yonaga-san.”

Neither of the two spoke, letting Chabashira continue to explain herself. If even the student council was concerned… There might be more trouble than they needed right now.

“She’s… Tenko can see she brainwashed all of student council. Tenko thinks you know how dangerous this is, especially because Yonaga-san believes she will be safe under the protection of her God. And now that she has followers, she’s doing anything she wants… Tenko thinks that she needs to be stopped before she does something reckless.“

“If you know they’re being brainwashed, why on earth would you join student council willingly?” Maki failed to see why anyone would do this willingly.

“It’s Yumeno-san… Right, Chabashira-san?” Shuichi tried. “You’re worried because she’s so close to Yonaga-san.”

“Yes… Tenko… Tenko’s afraid Yumeno-san is slowly giving up, and Yonaga-san is filling her mind with the God thing… Tenko doesn’t want her, or anyone else, to get hurt.”

“So you want me to kill Yonaga.”

Shuichi flinched, Chabashira only glanced over Maki’s head nervously.

“Tenko… Had thought of that possibility… A little too much...” She laughed. “But murder… It’s not… Sorry Harukawa-san, but Tenko does think it’s wrong.”

“...” Maki ignored the comment.

“Tenko just wants to stop Yonaga-san from performing the ressurection ritual… And you’re the only ones that can help her convince Yonaga-san. So please… Please help Tenko...”

Tenko bowed to them, her speech finished, Shuichi and Maki looked between each other and the bowing girl.

“Well that’s settled! We should go now, we’re almost out of time!” Chabashira jumped back on her feet instantly, and turned towards the school building without waiting for an answer.

***

“It’s okay, Chabashira-san…” Shuichi consoled, though his words didn’t reach her. “I’m sure… I’m sure Yumeno-san won’t be mad at you.”

“How could Tenko do this… She shouldn’t have yelled… She shouldn’t have said those awful things to Yumeno-san… Now she totally hates her!” She pulled at her braids, if she kept that up she’d be bald in the morning.

“It was the heat of the moment…” Shuichi tried again. “I’m sure that she’ll forgive you if you apologize to her...”

Maki said nothing, consoling people wasn’t something she was good at. She’d just make Chabashira cry even more if she tried right now, so she let Shuichi do the talking again. They reached the dorms, and Chabashira said her goodbyes (she seemed more hopeful than a few minutes ago). The rest of student council wasn’t present, so Maki and Shuichi stayed outside after Chabashira’s door closed.

“You really think she’ll be fine?” Maki asked, perhaps a moment too soon.

“I think so. She said she was going to apologize tomorrow…” Shuichi sighed. “Let’s just hope trouble doesn’t arrive before that.”

***

Maybe they jinxed it by hoping, or maybe it was just an awful coincidence.

The body of Yonaga was found first thing in the morning. Her body lay curled up in a pool of her own blood, she’d turned cold a long while ago. Yumeno quietly stood next to her friends body, with Chabashira trying to coax any reaction out of her. Aside from a groan, she was unsuccessful.

Maki focused her attention on Shuichi, the message clear without words: ‘We need your talent again.’.

Yonaga’s death was curious, not only was it a locked room murder at an unknown time, but her cause of death was unknown too. Shinguji chuckled, suggesting the use of a seance to find the truth behind the victim’s unfortunate fate. To Maki’s frustration, too many took the bait. It would just be a waste of time, but if she said that out loud he would tell her that she shouldn’t dismiss it without seeing it first.

“Seeing is believing.” She could imagine him say.

In the end, Shinguji held the seance with Yumeno, Shuichi, Chabashira, and Ouma. Maki could only wander around the fourth floor, trying to find more clues inside of the lab.

***

If Maki was religious, or even superstitious, she’d claim that they cursed themselves.

When the second body announcement went off, everybody still in the room with Yonaga’s body sprinted to the ritual room. Maki outran all of them, almost crashing through into the room where the seance was just held.

Why in the world was there a second announcement, wasn’t the seance just to communicate with the spirit of Yonaga? The small crowd combined with the darkness of the room obscured the body from Maki’s sight.

“Shuichi, what-” She tried to ask, hearing the anger in her voice.

“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!” The shrieking was undeniably Chabashira. Then the body must be…

“It’s… Yumeno…” Shuichi mumbled, not taking his eyes away from the body. “The ritual, it… it failed.”

He stepped aside so Maki could take a look at the scene. Yumeno’s corpse laid on the floor, blood still flowing out of a wound on the back of her neck. Chabashira was kneeled next to the body, tears streaming down her face as she glared at the approaching Shinguji.

“This is all _your_ fault!” Chabashira continued to scream at Shinguji, getting on her feet. This wasn’t good. “ _You_ made her do this! _You_ said it could only be her! _You killed her_!” Her voice was roaring as she screamed the last few words.

“N-no… The seance was supposed to be perfect.” He was shocked by the events, it was a rare sight to see him lose composure like this. “Everything was right… She… She couldn’t have died...”

Chabashira hit him with an open palm, hard. The sound echoed through the room. He stumbled back, she took a few threatening steps towards him, fury burning in her eyes. She was about to strike him again when a very angry robotic bear jumped into the room.

“Hey, hey, hey! No fighting!” Monokuma called out. To Maki’s surprise, Chabashira actually backed off.

“Phew, can’t have you kids fighting during the investigation… But I didn’t come here just to break up your fights, I just need you to listen for a moment. You can fight till the death after that if you’d like.”

“Then spit it out already!” Kaito yelled. “I wanna get outta here soon… I uh… Don’t feel too well.”

Maki raised an eyebrow. Was he… scared? He always acted odd on this floor, making any excuse to leave as soon as he could. It got worse with the mentions of the rituals and the (failed) seance.

“Okay, okay, geez.” Monokuma pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead. “As you can see, we now have two victims. In case of events like these, we operate a little differently. You’re free to investigate the murder of poor Himiko, but keep in mind that the trial is only for the blackened that killed Angie. We work with a first come, first serve rule here. I’ve even been so kind as to add it to the official school rules. Good luck with your investigation!”

Everyone glanced around, unsure of what to do. There were still too many unsolved mysteries around Yonaga’s death, and Monokuma just declared Yumeno’s murder as irrelevant to the trial. It was still worth investigating, she and Shuichi already found all the clues they would find regarding Yonaga.

The gravity of the situation really hit when Chabashira started wailing, sinking back on her knees. There was nothing that could be done for her, Yumeno’s killer was going to walk out of the trial room without punishment. Maki watched the girl, hoping that she at least had a chance to apologize to Yumeno for the events of last night.

“Shuichi. We should investigate here.” Maki whispered.

***

“And you voted correctly! Shinguji Korekiyo is the blackened behind the deaths of Yonaga Angie _and_ Yumeno Himiko!”

The fanfare played, and Maki’s shoulders relaxed. Though she’d never admit it, she always felt an awful rush of anxiety during voting time. Everyone stepped down from their stands, gathering in a half circle around the blackened. Shinguji smirked, the smirk of a man that had no regrets for his actions.

The depressing mood that hung in the air when Akamatsu and Tojo were sentenced was nowhere to be found, no tears and no begging to let Shinguji live. There was nothing but pure disgust coming from the others. He opened his mouth, ready to speak his final words. To explain himself, or something. Maki didn’t want answers.

He never got the chance.

Chabashira had flung herself at him the second she saw an opening. He was slammed to the ground in an instant, with Chabashira mercilessly beating at his face. Other than gasp in shock, nobody made a move to stop her.

“I KNEW IT WAS YOU!” Maki had never seen Chabashira this furious before. She kept up her offense, showing no sign of relenting as she kept punching and punching. Maki watched Monokuma from the corner of her eye, he seemed uninterested in stopping the scene. Something cracked, and then something tore and Chabashira screamed. Gokuhara had dragged her off Shinguji, holding her with an iron grip. She was screaming and kicking at Shinguji, crying and begging to be let go. A few long black hairs were falling out of her flailing hands.

Shinguji’s face was unrecognizable as he was dragged into his execution.

***

“...That sure was a trial.” Kaito sighed, standing with her and Shuichi at their usual training spot. He looked as though someone had punched him in the gut, they’d have to skip training today too, though Maki didn’t mind for once. “Never thought we’d have… That.”

Shuichi softly agreed. Maki said nothing, observing Chabashira and Shirogane, who were seated just outside of the dorms. Shirogane was trying to hold a conversation, but it was very one-sided.

“Poor Chabashira… She was close to Yumeno...” Kaito caught her staring. He followed her eyes, Shirogane’s mouth wasn’t moving anymore. Chabashira was wiping her face on her knees, and the two got up and went inside shortly thereafter.

“They seemed to be having a... problem last night.” Maki responded, thinking back on the argument that hadn’t even been a day ago. Chabashira trusted her and Shuichi to help her stop the student council from performing the resurrection ritual, but the aftermath had been disastrous.

“Oh… They made up…” Shuichi had trouble formulating his sentence. “...Before she died.”

He didn’t say anything else, Kaito broke off the conversation by saying he was going to bed, Shuichi said he’d be leaving as well. Maki mumbled goodnight, yet stayed outside a little longer.

The events from last night were still on her mind. Chabashira had been the first to approach her after Kaito did (and to a lesser extent, Shuichi), with a matter that was so dear to her. Though it ended in a disaster… Maki wanted the others to be able to trust her like that too, to trust her despite her talent. Kaito’s words must be starting to rub off on her.

That feeling was one that she would keep between herself and the stars.

# ii

Kaito was mad, and that rubbed Maki the wrong way when they spent time together. Why couldn’t he just see he was acting like a child? She should just leave, treat him like a child that needed time-out. But she decided to be the reasonable one this time.

“You should just talk to him.” She told Kaito, not in the mood to hear him grumble for another hour.

“...”

“Nothing’s going to be solved if both of you keep acting like this.” Maki tried to control her annoyance, but it was so hard right now.

“...Harumaki...” He sighed.

“What.”

“Sorry.” He continued. “I don’t know what to say to him right now… I’ll try to think of something.”

It wasn’t a no, at least. Maki closed her eyes and folded her arms, maybe she should convince Shuichi to talk to Kaito later. Why did they have to fight _now?_ And why make it so damn complicated?

“Hey, Harumaki.” Kaito’s voice had _that_ tone. The one where he was going to say something Maki didn’t want to hear. “How are things between you and Chabashira? I see you hanging out a lot recently!”

“She just hangs out with me sometimes.” Maki wondered where Chabashira was, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen her since last night. Mostly because she was fuming after Gokuhara’s trial. Maki couldn’t blame her.

“Be kind to her.” Kaito continued. “She hasn’t been doing so well since Yumeno… And I think you like her more than you say. I’d say she does too.”

“You’re imagining things.” Maki ran her fingers through one of her twintails. “I have to go.”

Kaito laughed, slapping Maki’s shoulder playfully as she got up.

“Alright, alright. No more teasing, but I did see her go to the dojo earlier.”

Maki walked in the opposite direction of the dojo, waiting until she couldn’t see Kaito before taking the long way around. Maybe she was just as childish as he was.

***

Shirogane and Chabashira were together when Maki entered, Shirogane holding up a practise sword as Chabashira circled around her. Shirogane looked up as she saw the movement of the sliding doors.

“Hello, Harukawa-san-“

“Sneak attack!” Chabashira cried out.

In an instant she stepped close to Shirogane, striking her arm, the weapon clattered to the floor. Shirogane had half a second to adjust as she was lifted up and thrown to the ground, she caught herself at least.

“...Whyyy?” She whined. “You saw Harukawa-san enter, that was unfair…”

“That’s Neo-Aikido, Shirogane-san! Sneak attacks are totally allowed! And you can only learn by experiencing!” Chabashira replied, now waving to her new visitor. “Hi Harukawa-san, did you want to train too?”

Maki blinked. This was a strange scene, it almost felt like she was intruding, but Chabashira seemed pleased to see her and Shirogane got over her initial offense of being thrown.

“I think I’m gonna lie down… It’s three carts and you’re out…” Shirogane dusted off her jacket, Maki noticed she wasn’t wearing her glasses. “I’ll see you later, bye bye.”

A silence fell, the whole atmosphere in the dojo changed with Shirogane’s departure. Those two were growing close, Maki noted. Chabashira tossed the sword Shirogane was using to her, Maki caught it effortlessly.

“Train with Tenko, Harukawa-san!” The request was earnest, given with a bright smile.

“I don’t fight for fun, if that’s what you’re asking.” Maki responded, fiddling with the sword. It felt unnatural in her hands, and the memories of that mission resurfaced.

“Then… Try to not see it as fighting.” Chabashira was searching for her words. “Tenko thinks aikido isn’t about fighting. It’s a way to improve yourself… And to help others do the same.”

Maki tossed the sword back, Chabashira’s expression changed to something close to disappointment and rejection. Maki walked up to the mat, taking off her shoes as she walked.

“Don’t look so sad, I just don’t use weapons like that one.” Maki placed her shoes next to Chabashira’s slippers.

“Oh! Tenko is sorry for that! She should’ve asked first.” She placed the thing on the edge of the mat. “Hm… Tenko is not sure what she could teach you, now that she thinks about it.”

“You could just start with the basics. We didn’t cover aikido during training.” They only taught her that aikido was a joke, that it was foolish to not harm your opponent. Maki banished the thought, it wasn’t the time nor place for it.

And then Maki hit the mat. So she fought dirty, maybe Shirogane was right in being a little offended.

“You can only learn by experiencing.” Maki said before she could be lectured, which made Chabashira smile even more.

“It seems like Tenko’s newest pupil has talent!”

***

Chabashira turned out to be a better teacher than Maki expected. Her rather practical approach was inconvenient at times, but it worked. It didn’t always involve throwing, sometimes they’d stand side by side as Chabashira explained the finer details of movement. Seeing her so calm and controlled while going through strikes and throws was the opposite of her uncontrolled assault on Shinguji. Maybe she judged her too soon.

They stopped training once Kaito stopped by, smirking as he said that it was about time for dinner. All the way to the cafeteria, Chabashira looked like she wanted to say something, but she left the cafeteria long before Maki had a chance to ask what that all was about.

# iii

They were humanity’s last survivors, forced to kill each other by no one other than the rat smirking in front of them. The fury that Maki felt froze her on the spot, unable to do anything but glare as Kaito’s plans to attack him failed. First the exisals came to protect Ouma, then all their electrohammers died.

“It seems like you’re all out of options!” He was provoking Kaito, and it worked. “And regular violence isn’t going to work either.”

“Maybe so! But I won’t forgive myself if I don’t punch you now!” Kaito roared. “Chabashira! Help me out here!”

“Tenko’s right behind you!”

Kaito and Chabashira made a break for Ouma, who merely grinned and fiddled with his remote.

“Stop!” Maki called out, knowing what was going to happen, Shuichi tried to grab Kaito’s jacket, but nothing stopped the two projectiles.

With the press of a button an exisal lashed out, both of its arms moving at lightning speed. Chabashira made an attempt to move out of the way, but her aikido techniques weren’t meant to be used against giant war robots. She was sent flying back by it’s blow, rolling over the metal floor till she lay still near the wall. Kaito was smacked to the ground and picked up, hanging limply in the exisals grip.

“See what happens when you defy me?” Ouma had the exisal shake Kaito lightly. “Don’t do that again, you’ll only get yourselves killed.”

Maki’s mind screamed nothing but murder. She had to kill Ouma now, there was _no other choice_. Shuichi grabbed her arm to stop her from rushing in. Ouma noticed, and smiled as he had an exisal lift him into the cockpit.

“Don’t think about it, Harumaki~” An exisal pointed it’s gun towards Chabashira while the other one shook Kaito again. “Just listen to Saihara-chan and nobody gets hurt.”

She didn’t calm down in the slightest, feeling nothing but white-hot anger as the exisal Ouma was hiding in held out its hand to Shuichi.

“The remote to the hangar, pretty please?”

“Don’t give it to him.” Maki hissed, tearing herself free from Shuichi’s grip. “Don’t you dare give it to him, Shuichi.”

Shuichi closed his eyes. Maki glanced over towards where Chabashira lay, Shirogane kneeled next to her, the two still at gunpoint. It didn’t seem like he was interested in taking her with him.

In her momentary distraction Shuichi had dropped the remote into the exisal’s hand. Ouma hummed, and then opened a shutter and left the room with all the exisals.

“Coward.” She whispered in Shuichi’s ear, and sprinted towards the shutter that Ouma used to leave.

Maki chased after Ouma and his exisals with a single thought: if she hurried she could catch him before he entered that hangar. She could drag him out of that thing and kill him before it was too late.

The tunnel ended in the dead end of the road to the hangar. Maki couldn’t make the turn before the exisals opened fire on her. Nothing hit, but two of the exisals were now adjusting their aim. The other three weren’t present, and neither was _he_. The machines followed Maki’s every move, if she made one misstep... Of course he would stop her from going after him before he could secure his hostage, Maki had no choice but to back off this time.

But she would be back. She would return over and over to finish what she started.

***

Kiibo walked past her as she made her way to the boiler room, ignoring her entirely as he entered his lab. Maki then realized that Chabashira may still be dying down there in the tunnel, and she wasn’t sure whether she was still supposed to go back or not. Shirogane and Shuichi were still there (maybe). Maki sat down in the boiler room, watching the manhole for some sign of activity. Kiibo had to have come from here.

And so she waited. Shuichi came out first. If he noticed her, he paid her no mind. Maki was convinced he didn’t notice her, there was no way he even paid attention to anything with how small and crushed he looked, Maki would be surprised if he was aware that he was walking. Yet she couldn’t stop thinking on how easily he sold out Kaito to Ouma, and anger took over her pity.

Night-time came, Maki sat outside the boiler room now. Shirogane and Chabashira were still in there, what if the traps reactivated? Maki was going to give up for the night when Shirogane shuffled outside, Chabashira hobbling as she was leaning on the other girl’s shoulder. Everyone was still alive, that was good.

Shirogane almost jumped when Maki entered her line of vision, her surprise turned to annoyance for a moment, and then to exhaustion. Chabashira looked even worse, but she smiled weakly at Maki.

“Hi Harukawa-san…” Both greeted.

“Hi.” Maki replied, moving up to the two and offering her shoulder to Chabashira. Shirogane seemed relieved when the weight shifted.

“Are you alright?” Maki asked.

“I think she’s just bruised... Maybe concussed but she’s talking and responding just fine.” Shirogane cut in. “She’s going to need a lot of rest.”

Chabashira let out a noise of protest, but Shirogane silenced her. The three walked back to the dorms in silence.

“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Maki decided as they carried Chabashira up the stairs to her room. “Symptoms of a concussion can show up later than the initial trauma.”

“Alright… Make sure to call me if something goes wrong.” Shirogane dug through Chabashira’s pockets to fish out the key to her room, handing it over. She did mention that she could get away with minor crimes once, was pickpocketing one of those?

Maki took it without a word, helping Chabashira into her room and bed. Maki sat herself down at the desk, falling asleep quickly.

Every now and then she’d wake up to ask Chabashira basic questions: “What’s your name, talent, and how do you feel?”

She’d respond honestly and without any difficulty, though she got crabby after Maki woke her up for the fifth time. She was going to be fine, so Maki decided to step out for a bit. It was still early, with a bit of luck she could scope out a way to get into the hangar now. Maki took the key to the room with her, not wanting to lock herself out in case she returned before Chabashira woke up.

***

Maki opened the metal door slightly, waiting for a volley of bullets. After a minute of silence she peeked through the gap, an empty hallway greeted her. Did Ouma think she wasn’t going to come back? No, he wasn’t stupid enough to think that, he must have another trick up his sleeve. But Maki could enter the area for now, she’d better take the chance while she still had it.

There was no sign of activity for a while, but Maki could hear the exisals in the distance as she snuck around. They weren’t patrolling, the sound was coming from the same location. Maki reached the branch in the path, seeing the exisals walking in a circle in the ‘dead end’. She had gone unnoticed so far, or they were ignoring her on purpose. This was strange, it was almost like they were guarding something… Maki narrowed her eyes, trying to observe if she was right.

And she was. The exisals were circling the one they once protected, Monokuma. The bear remained stationary and silent, not responding in any way to his current predicament. The situation was puzzling, and while Maki thought of answers Monokuma’s head turned towards her, he remained silent as their eyes met. Maki met his gaze with unease, what was he planning?

A screeching noise from further in was the answer. Something was coming, from the heavy stomping Maki knew it must be the remaining exisal. Fuck, Monokuma was acting as a sentry, there was no way around his line of sight, how did she fail to see that. Maki couldn’t fight Ouma and the exisals on her own, as much as she wanted to. She turned and ran back to the door, pushing through the gap she left and fully closing it behind her. Nothing came after her, Ouma just wanted her to leave it seemed. But she had a better idea of what she had to work with now, maybe if she could disable Monokuma...

***

Two cups of noodles, two bottles of ice tea, and some paper towels. Maki brought back breakfast for herself and Chabashira, the morning announcement had barely finished before she slipped in and out of the cafeteria.

Maki unlocked the door and stepped inside, surprised to find the lights on already. Chabashira must’ve woken up while she was gone. Well, it had been at least an hour and she had always been one of the early risers.

“Chabashira? Are you awake?” Maki called out softly.

No response.

“Chabashira?” Maki put the food she was carrying on the desk, the room was deserted.

“Chabashira, are you in the bathroom?” Still no response, Maki checked the bathroom door. Unlocked.

“Chabashira, if you’re in here, answer me right now!” The dread that crawled into her mind made her voice cold and commanding. Still nothing but silence.

“Tenko?!” Maki pushed open the bathroom door.

To her relief it was empty as well. But now there was the issue of a missing person, one that should be resting in bed. Maki cursed herself for leaving for so long, she should’ve just left a note. Or just returned instead of waiting for the morning announcement. But there was no time to blame herself, she had to find Chabashira _before_ something happened.

First was the dojo, which was quiet and deserted. Then came the cafeteria, where only an unresponsive Shirogane was stirring rice in a bowl, did they miss each other? She hadn’t met Shirogane on the way back. Maki left without talking to her, Shirogane appeared to be uninterested in talking.

Yumeno’s lab was empty, and so were other places where Maki had seen Chabashira hang out as well. There was too much ground to cover alone, and Maki hated to admit that she couldn’t spend all day running around while Ouma held Kaito hostage. Maki popped into the cafeteria again, Shirogane had stopped poking at her food, but still looked like she was going to eat anything. Or leave, for that matter.

“Shirogane.” Maki called out to her, Shirogane jumped in her chair after hearing her name.

“Oh… Hello Harukawa-san…” She sounded exhausted, even more than last night. “...How’s Chabashira-san doing?”

“She’s fine.” Maki lied. “She’s taking a walk right now, but she forgot I have her key. Tell her to go to her lab if you see her, I’ll be waiting for her there.”

“Mhm… Can do.” Shirogane nodded. “Tell me if you find her before I do though, I’ll see if Saihara-san and Kiibo can look out for her as well.”

“Yes, thank you.” Maki turned out of the room, Shirogane mumbled something that sounded like goodbye as she left.

Shuichi and Kiibo weren’t going to look, Maki knew that already from the look in their eyes. She would be surprised if Shirogane was going to do more than sit around all morning. Nobody knew what to do, not with what they learned yesterday.

For a second Maki wondered if she _wanted_ to find Chabashira.

***

Another day passed. Chabashira was still missing, and by now Shirogane was suspecting something was up. Maki pointed out that Shuichi hadn’t left his room either, Chabashira could have holed up in a classroom after her walk. It wasn’t a convincing argument, and Maki didn’t believe herself either.

“All we can do is wait.” Shirogane sighed. “There’s nothing to hope for.”

Any other time, Maki would have accepted it. Chabashira would turn up eventually, whether dead or alive, and they would have to move on. But now she couldn’t, she just couldn’t sit down and accept that her friends were disappearing and dying any longer.

“We don’t have the luxury of waiting.” Every passing second was a second where Ouma got his way. “I refuse to let _him_ make the first move.”

“He cancelled the game… I doubt he’s going to do anything…” Shirogane sighed. “We should just… go on with our plain lives… Or something…”

She got up and moved towards the exit, her shoes dragging over the ground.

“I have to go to the bathroom, you can leave if you want.”

Maki watched her go, it had to be close to night-time. Maybe Shirogane was right, she should leave. There was no point in staying in the cafeteria, maybe searching the school would yield some results tonight.

Maki’s plans were interrupted by a sound she had never heard in the school before.

Piano music.

Even when Akamatsu was alive, the sound of music never echoed through the halls. It sounded awful, as if someone was fighting on the keys. Maki was running before she knew she had to be quick.

The door to the lab was wide open, which explained why the music was audible in the halls. Maki had initially thought that it had to be Shuichi, but it was Chabashira who sat in front of the piano. She didn’t notice that Maki was standing in the doorframe, and the thought of how easy a target she was like this plagued Maki’s mind. The music, if it could be called that, was unbearable. When it ended Maki was almost grateful, but Chabashira looked at peace as she played. It was the same peace she had when she was training with Maki and Shirogane, and Maki didn’t want to take that from her.

“Harukawa-san?” Chabashira gasped. “W-When did you get here?”

“A few moments ago. I heard the music and came to investigate.” Maki entered the lab fully, closing the door behind her.

“Oh… Well, Tenko’s happy to see you..?”

“Where the h- Where did you go yesterday?”

Chabashira looked away, resting her arms on the piano (which let out long, low notes). Her face had a far off look, she must be in really deep thought.

“Tenko needed some time to think.” She answered after what felt like an eternity. “She’s sorry for leaving for so long.”

Maki closed her eyes. At least she was safe, that was a blessing on its own.

“But what were you doing? You were gone for almost two days.”

“Tenko was… Tenko was reading in _that_ menaces lab… About seances and rituals...” She fidgeted on the seat. “T-Tenko was hoping… She was hoping that she could talk to…”

She sniffed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Maki found herself moving before she thought, again. She made Chabashira move so she could sit next to her, it was a little uncomfortable, but it would have to do for now.

“Yumeno?”

“Not just Yumeno-san...” She continued when Maki had settled. “Akamatsu-san, Tojo-san… Tenko wouldn’t have minded if she could talk to Iruma-san or Yonaga-san… There’s too many people Tenko wants to say sorry to.”

“Why apologize?”

“Because Tenko vowed to protect them… And now they’re dead...” Chabashira was shaking, Maki gently ran her hand over her back. “Why couldn’t Tenko protect them… If only… If only Tenko went into that cage.”

“And die a painful death? You kno-”

“At least die knowing Tenko saved one person!” She shouted, then apologized. “Now Tenko is nothing but a failure that can’t even protect one person she loves.”

“That’s not true.” Maki tried a different approach, trying to think of how Kaito would’ve approached her. “You only look at your failures. But there’s still seven of us, seven of us that you did keep alive.”

Chabashira wiped a few tears out of her eyes, but the shaking subsided slightly.

“...Tenko still wishes it was her, instead of Yumeno-san.” She said, not budging on that.

“Chabashira, do you want to die?” Maki didn’t mean it as a threat, but as a genuine question.

She answered instantly, without any hesitation.

“Yes, Tenko thought about dying a lot… But then she thinks about the promise she made to Yumeno-san… The promise she’d survive with the others… Tenko wants to keep it.”

Maki exhaled, oddly relieved. A silence fell again, and the two just sat. Chabashira started to play an absent-minded tune after a few minutes, Maki recognized it as a nursery rhyme the children at the orphanage used to play. The name eluded her, but it was soothing to hear actual music.

“Tenko is just scared of losing more friends.” She confessed. “But you’re right, Harukawa-san… Tenko does still have people she has to keep protecting. Thank you.”

Maki acknowledged it with a ‘mhm’. A question bubbled up, one that had been begging to be asked for a while now. Now felt like the right time, somehow.

“Chabashira, why did you trust me that night?” Maki asked.

The music paused. “Because Tenko realized that she was being unfair to you. She judged you only because you were an assassin, and with the game… She was afraid you’d kill someone.” She thought for a moment, then continued. “But then she saw you with Momota-san and Saihara-san, and Tenko wondered if you were really as evil as they said. Maybe it was desperation, but Tenko believed she could trust you.”

“Just belief is dangerous.” Maki thought of Kaito and Shuichi and their stupid fight over it.

“Sometimes we don’t have a choice but to believe.” Chabashira countered. “Maybe it’s dangerous and maybe Tenko got hurt, but Tenko would rather be hurt than distance herself because she’s afraid to believe in anything.”

Maki’s free hand balled into a fist. Chabashira seemed to notice, her hand falling on top of Maki’s.

“You’re scared like that, Harukawa-san.” She sounded different, wiser and too aware of Maki’s flaws. “Tenko could tell when we were training together… You push yourself away from everyone, because you believe we’d hate you.” She smiled at her, Maki couldn’t help but feel like she was talking to Kaito. She was just as perceptive as he could be. “But Tenko doesn’t think that’s true, the part about everyone hating you, she means.”

“H-How… How do you know those things?” Maki couldn’t even bring herself to sound angry.

“Neo-Aikido, of course! When Tenko trains with someone, she can feel what they feel. She doesn’t understand how it works entirely, but she thinks it’s because Neo-Aikido brings people closer to understanding each other... Tenko wanted to tell you sooner, but things didn’t go her way. Sorry, Harukawa-san.”

“It’s… Alright, I’m just surprised.”

“Tenko knows… Everyone always is, because they think Tenko only acts without thinking of others’ feelings.” Maki could see _why_ they would think that. What just transpired here already felt like a dream.

“Sorry for going back to this, but Tenko could also see that you’re improving with great steps…” She thought for a moment, her voice softer when she spoke. “Momota-san… He’s in your heart… And Tenko doesn’t need Neo-Aikido to know he’s in trouble.”

“Yes, he is. Ouma’s holding him hostage right now, you were knocked out when he took him.”

“Then it’s about time we start thinking about rescuing him.” Maki was surprised at Chabashira’s eagerness to help, maybe she really was dreaming right now. “He should be here with us, thinking of a way to defeat the mastermind.”

“We’d need to convince the others to even _move_ first.” Maki thought of how Shirogane hardly moved, and how she hadn’t seen Kiibo and Shuichi for a day.

“Harukawa-san?” The door opened suddenly, with Shirogane peeking her head in. “Oh! Chabashira-san, you’re safe! What a relief…”

“Hello Shirogane-san! Tenko just... Took a long walk.” She really hadn’t gotten much better at disguising her lies.

“Oh, so you were right.” Shirogane looked at Maki. “Sorry for doubting you… Um… I’ll just go to bed now, I just thought I’d look around a little before sleeping. Goodnight!” And she was gone again.

“Maybe we should sleep too…” Chabashira yawned.

“Yes, you should’ve been in bed anyway.” Maki joked, helping Chabashira out of the seat. “Tomorrow we’ll see about a rescue plan.”

The two walked back, talking about nothing in particular. It was pleasant, and maybe they took a slight detour to the dorms. It didn’t matter, Maki was just happy to be in Chabashira’s presence.

“Goodnight.” Maki gave Chabashira her key back. “I don’t think I need to watch you anymore.”

“Thank you…” Chabashira unlocked her door. “Sleep well, Maki.”

The door closed before Maki could comment on the use of her given name. A smile crept onto her face.

“Goodnight, Tenko.”

 

# iv

The tune of the body announcement message played, despite the game being declared over two days ago. Maki could feel her anxiety turn into anger, fueled as she saw his jacket under the press. She fucked up, she fucked up real bad.

Tenko and Shirogane gasped, Shuichi and Kiibo stopped dead in their tracks. Everybody was confused, and Maki knew it was her fault. She killed Kaito, and nothing could change that.

VICTIM UNKNOWN

The file revealed little about the murder, no time, death by crushing, only the location (and even that was vague). Maki glared at the Monokuma file, as if her anger could turn it into something that would pin the blame on her. What was the point of hiding how she killed him?

“Maki?” Shuichi turned to her. “A-Are you ok?”

“Why do you ask? I’ve said it before, I’ve seen a lot of death.” Her voice felt detached. “This doesn’t bother me.”

Shuichi exhaled inaudibly, turning back to the rest to discuss their plan of action. Shirogane and Kiibo believed that it had to be Kaito under the press, and that Ouma was the culprit. Tenko merely looked at Maki with a look she couldn’t interpret.

“-I just believe it can’t be Kaito under the press.”

Maki snapped at those words.

“Belief isn’t going to end this game.” She wasn’t yelling, but her voice was louder than usual. “Don’t you remember what happened with Gokuhara?”

Shuichi blinked at her. “But…”

“If your reasoning is based nothing but belief, then I refuse to investigate with you.”

And with that, she turned to leave the hangar. Shuichi called her name once, but Maki paid it no mind and kept on walking. Let him believe, the truth would be a harsh wake-up call for him. For a moment she could feel guilt, remembering what Tenko told her before. She should apologize before she was executed, better not be the third person she’d feel guilty over.

***

Kaito laughed as he emerged from the exisal, and for a moment Maki could feel nothing but relief. It was replaced by anger for lying to them, and for working together with the rat, but maybe this once she could forgive him. He had been through a lot too.

But everyone was aware that the reunion was going to be short-lived. Yet Kaito put on a front of invincibility, even as he had to physically stop the blood from flying out of his mouth (he’s dying in front of everyone, with or without his execution).

“I know you can end this.” There’s fire in his eyes as he looked at Shuichi and Maki. “Shuichi… I believe you can do this, so you just gotta believe in yourself too!”

Shuichi began to wipe tears out of his eyes, and he kept on nodding. “Thank you Kaito… We’ll end this killing game, for you and everyone!”

“And Harumaki… Look at how you’ve changed… You always believed you didn’t deserve friends because of how much you hated yourself, right?” Maki could feel herself shivering at his words, sadness overtaking her. “But look at you now! You’ve let a guy like me reach out to you, and now you’ve got the best friends a person could wish for.” The tears rolled down her cheeks, why did it have to be like this?

He turned to Tenko next. Maki expected her to act conflicted, but they laughed and bumped their fists in a friendly greeting.

“Protect them, okay?” He said, his eyes landing on Maki for a split second. Maki wondered why, but she shouldn’t wonder anymore. Sometimes you should just believe in your friends.

“Tenko promises.” She closed her eyes, tears shining in their corners.

“Now! I want you all to smile for me, I don’t want to go out all gloomy-like. Give me your brightest smiles, like you gotta outshine the stars!”

Mixed shouts and confirmations ran through their little group, everyone putting on their best smiles through the tears. The exisals appearing caught everyone off-guard, looming over the group and closing in on Kaito. Maki bristled, moving to stop them from taking him. It shouldn’t end like this, it was just too soon.

“It’s alright, Harumaki.”

Maki stood still next to him, hyperaware of how close they were. He leaned closer, whispering in her ear.

“Think about your feelings.” He seemed to have thought about something. “I really think you like her more than you make yourself believe, like I told you before. And I really believe she does too.”

Maki’s eyes darted towards Tenko, who stood ready to fight the exisals with her bare hands. Kaito coughed, some of his blood fell on Maki’s arm. Monokuma slammed the button, ready to move on with the execution.

“Take care, Harumaki, promise me that you’ll smile more from now on.”

***

Kaito and Ouma both died in a way that the mastermind would never have wanted, Ouma cheating the system so that they’d never know who died (though he knew Shuichi would find out his true plans, Maki would never know what he thought).

Kaito died from his illness in the middle of his flight.  
Maki wasn’t religious nor was she superstitious, but she claimed that his spirit was with the stars now, the place where it always belonged.

 

# v

It was over. They ended this game with their own lives. If anybody had told the Maki from two weeks ago that she’d end up being revealed as a character in a ‘real-fiction’ world, she would’ve called them crazy. Now all she could do was accept the fact, and watch as Shuichi and Kiibo had a final talk.

The world outside of their cage chose to end the fictional world inside, so they all decided that they should go down with it. Maki was grateful, the last thing she wanted was to live another life of alienation.

The gusts Kiibo created as he took off whipped Maki’s hair. She could feel Tenko’s braids hit her several times as well, though it was nothing compared to the iron grip she had on Maki’s hand.

She was so nervous.

Maki could not blame her, they were all about to die here. She gently squeezed Tenko’s hand back. The grip on her hand loosened ever so slightly.

“Don’t be scared.” She said, soft enough that it remained between the two of them. Maki watched as Kiibo stopped gaining altitude.

“Tenko can’t help it.” Her voice was choked, but still under some semblance of control. “Death is scary,” Her face turned to Maki, a faint smile curling the corners of her mouth. “but she knows that everyone she loves is going to be with her when she dies.”

Maki blinked, unsure of what to say. Kaito’s final words came to mind, there had been little time to think about them. Not with Kiibo giving them precious few hours to find the truth and that final trial, but Maki thought she knew her answer.

The first shot flew through the air, the following explosion on the other side of the campus.

Tenko flinched, pulling herself and Maki closer to each other. The warmth pressed against her felt comforting, Maki reached for Tenko’s other hand, holding it.

The second explosion was closer, the heat burning on their skin.

Maki could feel Tenko shaking, maybe she was shaking too. Tenko’s grip tightened more than what should be humanly possible, but that was fine.

By now the ground was shaking, Kiibo a blur as he soared through their cage, keeping up his assault on the academy.

Shirogane laughed, Maki could feel anger boiling in her veins at the sound. Tenko’s hands let go suddenly, reaching for Maki’s shoulders instead. She was talking, but Maki could hear nothing as an explosion thundered over their heads.

The glass debris refracted the light of the fires, dyeing everything a shining orange. Tenko had tears in her eyes, then pulled Maki into a hug. More than a hug even, as she pressed her lips on Maki’s.

Ah.

Maki closed her eyes.

A deafening sound was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

# vi

The world outside the cage was exactly as Shirogane described. Peaceful, but the obsession with the killing games was slowly fading as time passed. The five survivors of the 53rd killing game were declared dead to the world, though in reality three lived. ‘To give you peace’, Team Danganronpa had said. Maki didn’t care about their reasoning, the sooner they were out of her life, the better.

The following year was a long one. Shuichi said he needed some time to think after a week, and left Tenko and Maki to go on a trip. Where he went, neither of them knew, but sometimes he would send them pictures and long letters. As time went on, it seemed like he had found a place where he was doing better. They regularly sent him letters back, Tenko buying a camera just so they could send him pictures too.

Tenko had picked herself up quickly, doing the exact things that she did in her fabricated past. Initially it made Maki uncomfortable, but as time passed, she realized that Tenko’s desire to remain Chabashira Tenko was what kept her grounded at times. They’d never know what she was like prior to the Killing Game, but Tenko said she’d keep her chin up and face her new life. But even she had her downs, waking up in the middle of the night to cry for hours on end. Maki would sit with her, their shared grief reminding her that she was Harukawa Maki, even if she wished she wasn’t on some nights.

Maki really didn’t know what she was doing. For the first few months she hardly left her room, Tenko bringing her food and sometimes forcing her to go outside for a few seconds. Eventually Maki picked herself up, feeling like she was doing her dead friends a disservice by giving in to despair again. Now she’d wander the streets all day, wondering if she’d ever find a place in this world where she was never meant to exist.

Sometimes she’d come home in the middle of the night, finding Tenko asleep in front of the TV. Sometimes Maki woke her up, sometimes she’d just sit next to her and feel the warmth at her side.

***

6:51 AM.

Maki woke up from the sound of the wind-chime from their balcony, followed by a chill inside her bedroom. Did Tenko sleep with her tonight? Maki couldn’t remember, but when she rolled to face the door to look outside, she could see her sitting on the balcony.

Maki threw on the first shirt and pants she could find, and joined Tenko. They sat together, staring at the stars in silence.

“Do you think they’re still watching us?” Tenko asked.

“I believe so.” Maki replied, Tenko hummed her agreement.

“Tenko misses them.”

“I do too.”

Maki took Tenko’s hand in her lap, feeling it gradually warm up (she must have been outside for a while). The sky slowly went from dark blue to a soft purple as the sun began to peek over the hills. Maki felt Tenko lean in to kiss her cheek, and she closed her eyes. It was moments like these that made her feel right (even if the grief threatened to crush her), Tenko would never know how much just being in each other’s company meant to Maki. The closeness made her forget about all her anxieties and fears for just a moment, and reassured her that even in a world like this, she had a place where she believed she belonged.

“Thank you.” Maki whispered, no words could ever express how she felt, but some felt close enough. “I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> The reason this story flows so weird is because I picked 5 moments where I really changed canon/it would have influence on their relationship.  
> Or maybe I'm just too critical of my own writing and it's totally fine, I hope you enjoyed it either way! :>

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Moving forward together](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14352615) by [HinataSnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HinataSnow/pseuds/HinataSnow)




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